Understanding Good Friday | The Timeline Of Events

What Makes It Good?
On this day in history, the events that unfold mark what believers call Good Friday. This day is full of meaning, prompting us to reflect, remember, and rejoice.

As you skim through the timeline of events posted below, you will recount the trials and tribulations that Jesus endured on this day. One question will emerge: "What makes this day so good?"

To understand the answer, we must look beyond this day and the visible events. For a moment, we must look past what people are doing to Jesus and see what Jesus is doing. We need to see past the horror inflicted upon him and see the hope initiated by him.

The easiest way to see this is to understand the whole story because the events of this day are only a snippet of a larger and longer story—a story told by God. To understand the narrative, you merely need to listen to a few timeless statements that God has been communicating to us through Scripture for generations. They illuminate his plan and reveal why this day is dubbed Good Friday.

Four Key Scriptures To The Story Of Good Friday
First, God reminds us in Romans 3:23 that this world and its people are perpetually broken and separated from him by our disobedience called "sin":

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Second, Galatians 3:13 explains that because of our sins, we were cursed, and we need someone to save us. Therefore, God chose to save us himself and provided his Son, who rescued us from our sins. This text reads:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”

Next, Colossians 2:14 explains that God planned to pay our sin debt for us. The Cross is where this debt was paid. This text reads:

[God] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Last is 2 Corinthians 5:21. It clarifies that the payment had to be made by someone sinless. Our sins were purchased and paid for with the currency of a sinless Son who died at the hands of sinful men to save us. The text reads:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

One Cohesive Story
These Scriptures tell one cohesive story—a story of divine intervention and redemption. On this day, 2000 years ago, Jesus saved the world from sin. Despite the injustice he endured—sentenced, scourged, mocked, and crucified—Jesus was simultaneously executing a divine plan. He was redeeming us, lifting the curse by bearing our sins upon that Cross. In this act, he paid the penalty and canceled our debt, purchasing our salvation with his righteousness.

Those unwilling to see the divine story and accept their own sinfulness find this event perplexing and the brutality unjust. But for those of us who have acknowledged our disobedience and sin, we see the Cross for what it is—Good News. For us, this day is profound. It's the day when a sinless Savior took upon himself the punishment we rightfully deserve so that we might be righteous before God.

That's what makes it Good Friday.

The Timeline of Good Friday By The Hour
6:00 AM - Zero Hour
Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate. (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-37)
Jesus Sent To Herod. (Luke 23:6-12)

7:00 AM - The First Hour
Jesus Returned To Pilate. (Luke 23:11)
Jesus Sentenced To Die. (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:23-24; John 19:16)

8:00 AM - The Second Hour
Jesus Led To Calvary. (Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:21-24; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16-17)

9:00 AM - The Third Hour
Jesus Is Crucified. (Mark 15:25)
Father Forgive Them. (Luke 23:34)
Cast Lots for Jesus's Clothing. (Mark 15:24)

10:00 AM - The Fourth Hour
Jesus Is Insulted. (Matthew 27:39-40)
Priests And Teachers Mock Jesus. (Mark 15:31)
Soldiers Mocked Jesus. (Luke 23:36-37)
Criminal Insults Jesus. (Luke 23:39)

11:00 AM - The Fifth Hour
Jesus And The Criminal. (Luke 23:40-43)
Jesus Speaks To Mary And John. (John 19:26-27)

NOON - The Sixth Hour
Darkness Covers The Land. (Mark 15:33)

1:00 PM - The Seventh Hour
Jesus Cries Out To The Father. (Matthew 27:46)
Jesus Is Thirsty. (John 19:28-29)

2:00 PM - The Eighth Hour
It Is Finished. (John 19:30)
Into Your Hands, I Commit My Spirit. (Luke 23:46)

3:00 PM - The Ninth Hour
Events After Jesus's Death.
The Earthquake and the Temple Veil Is Torn. (Matthew 27:51-52)
The Centurion Believes. (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:47)
The Soldiers Break the Thieves' Legs. (John 19:31-33)
The Soldier Pierced Jesus's Side. (John 19:34)
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb. (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)